Angel's Kiss
by goth-huntress
Summary: 500 years from now, away from the Earth That Was, Angel is alone on the planet Buffy. He contracts a Companion. Her name is Inara Serra.


He pushed open the wide windows on his balcony, looking down at the garden that was thriving although the sun barely peeked through the thick cloud cover that surrounded this small moon. Angel stretched, the soft white silk shirt that he was wearing fell open revealing his tightly toned muscles, not that he had to work on that. It'd been over 700 years since he'd had to worry about what he looked like. Not since that fateful night back in Dublin on the Earth That Was when he'd let Darla have her way with him. His soulful brown eyes flickered towards the cloud cover; few people had wanted to settle on this small world, but for Angel it was perfect. He'd bought the entire place, having learned his lessons about living hand to mouth for one too many decades, and finally set some money aside for the future. It was a good thing too when the Earth That Was had finally destroyed its ozone layer, and he wasn't even safe from the sun's radiation during the night.

"Sir?" his android servant came into the room, his accent crisp and British. "The Companion you contracted has been in contact. She should be arriving in an hour."

"Thanks Giles." Angel had had him designed to look just like Giles, not because he thought of Giles as a servant, but because he reminded him of better days, the days when he'd been young, well 200ish, and believed that he could become human again someday. Well that never happened. He wasn't young and foolish anymore. "I'm going to take a bath. Have dinner set up for her, then bring her to me after she eats."

"Yes sir," the droid Giles said as he walked out of the room to great the Companion.

* * *

"I don't like it."

"Now that's a surprise, Mal. You don't like that I have a job." Inara just shook her head at her captain. He was in a snit as usual that she was taking a job. "You're just jealous." She kissed him on the corner of the mouth, and then sighed as he pulled her into his lap on the bridge.

"Well true enough," Mal grumbled as he kissed her throat. He looked down at the planet beneath them, the thick clouds blocking the view of where the land began and ended. "I do get powerful jealous, but I do understand that it's your callin'."

"And we need to money Mal, that last job cost us so much. Kaylee's finally on the mend too, and so's Serenity."

"I just don't like that you've got to be whorin' to make up for what I done wrong." He felt the shame burn in his face that he was forcing her to take up the mantle of Companion again after being his and his alone for over a year now.

"It's not whorin'. It's just a job. A job that unlike most of ours, is legal. No one can arrest us or take that money away. I'm not going to fall for him you know, even if he is tall dark and very handsome."

"Well, he is that, and he's rich too. But what kind of guy names a planet Buffy?" Inara's pirate let out a snorting laugh. "Hi, I'm from Buffy. I'm a Buffionion, or would they be Buffoons?"

* * *

Inara sat at the table; it was covered in more food than the crew of Serenity could eat in a week, even with Jayne and River chowing down more than any human should be able to eat. She didn't know where River put it, but she suspected that Jayne hid it in his skull. The android poured her a glass of merlot, it was very old, and the color of the wine perfectly matched her lips and nails. She was dressed in a shimmering dress the color of the noon day sky as requested by her client. Her thick dark curls where hanging down her back in a single long ponytail while glittering jewels hung from her ears and wrists. She'd been instructed not to wear a necklace. 

It was a strange request, but not the weirdest she'd had since becoming a Companion. The strangest would always be the man who insisted she roll in peanut butter, so he could lick it off. Not that that hadn't actually ended up being kind of fun, but the smell took forever to go away. Mal kept saying he wanted to smother her in jam and eat her up when she got back.

"Will the master be joining me?" she asked the android whose name she had forgotten already.

"No ma'am," he said with a small bow as he set a plate filled with roasted meat – real meat – on her plate next to a mound of freshly steamed vegetables that were a bright healthy green. "The master doesn't eat in public. Angel will see you when you are finished." She ate in silence, probably more than she normally would have, but it was all so good. She wished that she could pack up the leftovers to give them to the crew.

* * *

Angel was leaning against the balcony railing when the Companion came into the room. He had candles lit throughout the suite, their golden glow making her look like a walking gem. He was very glad that he'd chosen her. She nearly glided across the room, the gown clinging to her body like a second skin. "Hi," he said and she smiled. "I'm Angel." 

"I'm Inara," she smiled back a bit surprised at how shy he seemed. He was taller than she expected, Mal would have been very intimidated by Angel, and she was going to make sure they never met. His brown eyes looked like they were filled with all the pain of the 'Verse, old and filled with too many memories. She was used to seeing that haunted look. She saw it in Mal's eyes too when he thought she wasn't looking at him. "Thank you for dinner. It was the best I've ever had."

"You can have the leftovers if you like? I'm assuming you have a ship up there that your shuttle came from."

"How did you know?" her eyes widened it was almost as if he'd read her mind.

"Lucky guess and I did a little research on you before I asked for you. I have more than enough food to share with your crew Inara." He walked towards her, and took her small hand in his. Her skin was so warm in his hands and the skin so soft. He tilted her face up to him, and kissed her gently. She tasted of her dinner and the wine she'd drunk. "Would you like some more wine?"

"Giles said you didn't eat in public?" she hadn't felt anything weird in his mouth, so didn't quite understand why.

"I do like a good glass of wine with a beautiful woman though," he said as he filled them each a glass. He took her hand led her towards the huge four poster bed. Its curtains were drawn back; the bed was covered in soft white satin sheets with pillows everywhere. It was a huge bed, big enough for Angel plus a few others. Angel set his wine down on the bedside table, and crawled across the bed to pull her into it. His hands were large but gentle as they slowly pushed up the skirt of her gown.

Inara ran her hands over his body. He was so cool to her touch, that she felt like she was touching a man made of stone. "You're so cold," she said in a rush as his lips and tongue began to explore the edges of her neckline, trailing kisses and bites down her breasts.

"Don't worry," he mumbled as he brushed his lips up the column of her throat. He could feel the pulse through the delicate gold brushed skin there, and took a deep breath of her exotic scent before letting his face shift and driving his fangs into her throat. He was growling as he took her blood into his mouth, her nails were digging into his shoulders. He could taste her fear and arousal as he drank from her. She tasted so good. He drew away, before she could be harmed, but not before she slipped into sleep.

* * *

Inara woke in the morning with Giles at the bedside with a tray of food for breakfast. She was still wearing her clothes, and as she touched her throat she thought she felt the tingle of something but she couldn't recall what. "Good morning miss," Giles said as he set up her breakfast. "I've had the food from last night secured in your shuttle, and as soon as you're ready to leave I'll escort you back." 

"Where did Angel go?" she asked a bit dazed until the coffee hit her system. She didn't know that he was watching her from the shadows in the corner of the huge room, dressed in black from head to toe, not that he needed to be to hide.

"The master had business to attend to. He was very pleased with you however, and would like to know if he may request you again in the future."

"Yes," she said with a sad gentle smile. "I would be happy to come back. Thank you for everything."

* * *

Mal was waiting for her as soon as the shuttle docked, but he wasn't alone. When Inara had told them she was bringing food along, Jayne and the rest were eager to help with the unloading. Mal came up besides her, checking her from head to toe after giving her a deep kiss to welcome her home. "You look like you're all in one piece," he said as he held her close. 

"I was perfectly safe. Angel was a gentleman. I am a bit tired though."

"Why don't we go have a nice nap then?" Mal said as he stole a bottle of wine from one of the crates on the shuttle and tucked it under his arm while he held her hand. "We can spend some time together while I help you forget about Angel."


End file.
